Soft
by dnofsunshine
Summary: A series of soft short stories written for Lovesquarefluffweek2019. Recently added: Lovesquarefluffweek2020! [Day 3: Marinette's just a friend. But Adrien can't help but notice how beautiful she looks in her new dress.]
1. Backfire (Lovesquare Fluff Week Day 1)

**Disclaimer: **I don't own MLB. Also, I've only written for this fandom a handful of times, so I'm kind of nervous about posting this. Especially cos fluff isn't my strongest point. But I wanted to try anyway. Thanks for reading!

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**Lovesquare Fluff Week Day 1: **I like the way your hand fits in mine. / Adrienette

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Marinette knew going out with her classmates was a bad idea.

She'd known it was a bad idea, and yet she still played along. Let Alya drag her out of her bedroom and force her to pick out clothes, even though she knew that Lila would be here and she definitely didn't want to leave her house for an event if Lila—deceitful, manipulative, awful-excuse-for-a-human-being Lila—was involved.

But darn it, Alya seemed so excited, and Marinette didn't have the heart to dampen her spirits. And the rest of her friends were thrilled, too, to spend the day outside when it was so warm and sunny and there was no school. Even _Adrien _was here! So Marinette swallowed her pride and did her best to ignore Lila. Instead, she was directing her attention toward the people who were more worth her time.

Currently, Rose was walking hand-in-hand with Juleka as she went on about some song ideas for the Kitty Section. They'd just stopped for ice cream when she asked Marinette and Adrien for their opinions.

(Theirs. Not Lila's. The thought made Marinette feel warm inside. Maybe this wasn't so bad, after all.)

"I think that's a great theme for a song," Marinette said with a kind smile.

"I can't wait to see what the end product will be," Adrien added.

A pleased blush crossed Rose's cheeks, and she said, "Oh, you really think so?"

"Would I lie to you?" Marinette asked, eyes shining. "Of _course _I think so."

Rose beamed like a ray that belonged to the sun. She continued to gush happily about the rest of her ideas as she ate her ice cream, looking more and more excited as Nino and Alya chimed in their praise as well.

Naturally, though, all fun, good things had to come to an end.

"Marinette, watch out! An akuma!"

Marinette froze mid-step, but that was a mistake. Immediately she was thrown off balance and she let out a startled yelp as her body went crashing down the staircase.

Luckily for her, there were only two steps left. _Unluckily_ for her, it still hurt when she hit the cement, her knees scraping against the pavement. The ice cream cone in her hand smeared against her shirt as her hands flew out to stop her face from colliding painfully with the ground. Only after she was done tripping over thin air did she realize that the voice that had called out to her had been none other than Lila Rossi.

_She did that on purpose,_ flitted through her mind instantly as she winced in pain. _Of course she did. __Goodness, I am _such _an idiot._

"Marinette!"

Footsteps echoed behind her and one hand rested on her back. The next thing she knew, Adrien was kneeling next to her, and Alya was looking at her in concern.

"Are you ok?" Adrien asked, the question coming out all in one breath. Before she could even respond, he was vigilantly helping her to her feet, taking her hand delicately into his own. He studied her skinned palm with open worry, and that was enough to make her forget the pain immediately. "You're hurt."

All possible responses she could have said to him left her brain immediately as she became hyperaware of Adrien's skin touching hers. He was holding her hand. Hers! She flushed hotly, mouth opening and closing, but no words were released.

"Marinette. Girl." Alya's fingers moved up her back, now ghosting against her right shoulder. "Are you _ok?_"

"Huh? O-oh! Um... I'm f-fine," she stuttered, giggling nervously when she realized multiple people were awaiting her response. "I'm fine, you guys. R-really. I'm used to tripping all the time, remember? Clumsy me."

Alya's face softened into a gentle, teasing smile. "I suppose."

Adrien, however, looked reluctant to let it go. He took her other hand, turning it over to examine it. "Are you sure? Your hands are bleeding."

(Oh, dear. Now he was holding both of her hands. Both!)

Alya squeezed her shoulder, grounding her into reality. Marinette jumped and blurted, "Um, no! I mean! Yes, I'm sure. Really. I-it's not a big deal."

Wrong. It was a big deal. Because she'd fallen in public, in front of a lot of her friends—in front of _Adrien_—and even though it happened all the time because she was clumsy, it didn't make her any less embarrassed. Her blush deepened, crawling to her ears and down her neck, as she realized that her ice cream was painted over one of her favorite tops. It probably wouldn't stain, but it was humiliating to know that she'd have to walk around like this for the remainder of their walk.

A glance up showed her that Lila was scowling on the top of the stairs like she'd just smelled something awful. As soon as their eyes met, however, the scowl disappeared and she hurried to paint on a look of false concern, practiced to perfection.

"Oh, Marinette, I'm so sorry. I really thought—"

"That was a really dirty trick, Lila."

But it wasn't Marinette who said it. The words came from Adrien, and when Marinette whirled back around to face him, her eyes widened. Adrien was giving Lila the frostiest look she'd ever seen.

Lila blinked, pretending to look hurt. "It wasn't a trick—"

But Adrien was already putting his attention back on Marinette. "We should get you cleaned up."

"Right," Rose quipped, making her way down the steps. "The bakery's not that far from here, maybe a couple of blocks. We could walk you back home."

Out of the corner of her eye, Marinette saw that Lila was glaring at her again. Obviously, she didn't like how the attention had shifted back on her in a matter of seconds. Nor did she seem to like that no one had immediately came to her defense when Adrien had called her out.

"Maybe I'll take you there if that's ok?" Adrien offered, the ice in his eyes long gone. "And we can catch up with you guys in a little bit? I need to phone Nathalie anyway and check-in."

Marinette's jaw dropped, eyes bulging in shock. She caught the way Alya's eyes sparkled. The way Rose smiled. Then Nino said, "For sure, dude. Take care of our Mari. Let us know when you're ready and we'll swing by the bakery."

"Deal," Adrien said. He tugged on Marinette's hand. "Is that ok with you?"

Right. Her hand. He was still holding her hand, although very tenderly, like he was afraid to make her wounds worse. And he was speaking to her. Directly to her. And oh, wait, he had asked her a question. "S-sure! I mean, i-if you don't mind? Really, I—I can walk by myself. It's no big deal!"

"Non-sense," Alya said with a wide grin, patting her shoulder again before gently sending her off. "He'll make sure you make it back in one piece."

"And I don't mind at all," Adrien said warmly.

Her face felt so hot that it was a wonder nobody asked her if she was feverish. "Um... o-ok."

"Great! See you guys in a bit," Alya said with a knowing wink.

And then Adrien was guiding her away. Her knees throbbed as they walked, but Marinette was more conscious of her racing heart, of the soft weight of Adrien's palm on her own. She had to admit, she liked the way it felt to be holding Adrien Agreste's hand, but it also wasn't good for her heart.

"Uh, A-Adrien?"

"Yeah?" he asked, looking back at her. Then he followed her gaze, eyes popping as he realized where she was looking. Her hand felt oddly cold when he pulled away from her. "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't realize. I was just worried about you. That was a nasty tumble."

"I... I'm honestly used to it," she squeaked. "I promise I'm fine!"

"I'm sorry Lila did that to you."

She winced, looking away. When she spoke again, her voice was lower than before: "I should have expected it. I think... I think it made her mad that nobody was paying attention to her."

Adrien frowned. "That was no excuse for her to cause you to trip."

"Well... still. Thank you for what you said for Lila, and for helping me up," Marinette said. "I—I appreciate it. A lot, actually."

"It was the least I could do," Adrien replied. "I really do hope you're ok."

She looked up at him, seeing the sincerity glistening in his eyes. He was genuinely worried about her. He'd stood up against Lila without hesitation and offered to walk her home to make sure her wounds didn't get infected. Her stomach fluttered at the situation really hit her. The pain in her knees and hands, the stain on her shirt... it didn't seem so bad when she realized that Lila's plan to publicly humiliate her ultimately backfired.

Oh, she was more than ok.


	2. Exhaustion (Lovesquare Fluff Week Day 2)

**a/n: **ok so this one is kind of ooc, but I imagine Marinette is freaking exhausted. XD She'll probably be freaking out later when Alya inevitably confronts her about it. After she gets some sleep, of course.

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**Lovesquare Fluff Week Day 2: **Forehead kisses. / Adrienette

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_I want to skin Hawkmoth. I want to skin him alive and watch him bleed._

Normally, Marinette wouldn't think such violent, awful thoughts. She tried her very best to push them out of her head at first. Tried to put herself in a positive headspace. But it was so hard when she'd gotten all of two hours of sleep because of an akuma. She was too exhausted to play nice, even in her head.

She barely registered Alya when she chimed a good morning. Seriously, how did Alya do it? How could she pull an all-nighter and then be chirpy when school started? Marinette wasn't sure if she'd ever understand.

"Don't you look happy this morning," Alya teased when Marinette slumped into her seat with all the grace of a seven-year-old child. Her head immediately hit her desk, eyes closing on their own accord, peering at Alya out of the corner of her eye. Alya persisted, "Rough night? Did you stay up working on one of your designs?"

A noncommittal hum. "Something like that."

_I swear, next time I see Hawkmoth, he'll wish he never messed with my sleep schedule._

She wondered if she could get away with napping. Would Ms Bustier be upset? Absolutely. But goodness, she did not want to be here. Was it too late to go phone her mama and tell her she didn't feel well? Would she believe her?

Then again, Marinette hated lying, especially if she didn't have to. And there was no use worrying her mama. Not to mention, she was most likely busy attending the bakery. Just because she was tired as heck didn't mean that she needed to skip school. No matter how much she wanted to.

Alya frowned, raising a critical brow at her. "Seriously, are you ok?"

"I'm so tired," she answered with a groan. "I'm ready for this day to be over."

Alya patted her shoulder sympathetically. "And it's only Monday."

"Ugh. Please don't remind me."

The morning inched by slowly after that. Marinette drifted in and out of a not-quite-asleep state, only to jolt up when Ms Bustier called on her. Her expression bled disapproval. But the sharpness in her gaze softened a little as she took in the bruise-like shadows under Marinette's eyes, and she said, "Are you alright, Marinette? Do you need to go to the nurse?"

Great. Just what she needed. Attention from the whole class.

"No, I'm fine," she answered, rubbing her eye. "I'm just tired. I'm sorry, Ms Bustier. It won't happen again."

Ms Bustier looked unconvinced but eventually nodded and continued with the lesson. Marinette did all she could to stay awake, but time was cruel to her. It passed achingly slowly, stretched out way too long.

And finally, _finally,_ it was lunchtime. Marinette was very, very sure that she could not stand this anymore. Once she got home, she wasn't coming back. Superhero or not, Marinette needed some darn sleep.

"—sure you're ok, dude?"

Except this time, the question wasn't directed toward her. Nino was asking _Adrien _if he was ok.

Marinette blinked sleepily. It took an embarrassingly long time to finally locate the two; they were standing by the doorway, and Nino was holding Adrien's arm, all concern and unease.

"Yeah," Adrien replied, although it wasn't too convincing. "I just didn't sleep well, I guess."

"Hold on..." Alya was no longer next to her. She was making her way down the steps, eyeing Adrien suspiciously. "Are you flushed? You look flushed. You sure you don't feel sick?"

With a yawn, Marinette stood up. How she made it all the way over to them without tripping over her own two feet, she was not sure, but suddenly she was in front of Adrien, the back of her hand dusting against his cheek the way her mama always did when she was claimed she felt ill.

Stood on her tip-toes.

Pressed her lips to his forehead.

"What the heck?"

"Oh, my gosh. No way."

"M-Marinette?"

"Definitely feverish," Marinette concluded with a tired nod, yawning again. "You should get some rest. Let's go. Mama's soup is a cure-all for when I'm sick. I'm sure she won't mind cooking something up for you."

Adrien's cheeks darkened, although that could technically be blamed on the fever. "R-really, Marinette. I'm f—"

"Please," she begged with a hint of exasperation. "I am too tired to take no for an answer."

Honestly, Adrien was almost as bad as Chat Noir. Trying to play off feeling bad or sick when it was obvious he wasn't ok. It didn't help that he looked just as tired as she felt. They _both _needed some rest and Marinette wasn't in the mood to argue.

"Alright," he murmured reluctantly.

"Good."

Then they were heading out of the classroom. Down the hallway. Nino and Alya were right behind, with Alya making sure Marinette didn't fall down the stairs due to her fatigue (or clumsiness) and Nino making sure that Adrien didn't pass out.

She completely missed Nino's quiet whisper of, "Did that really just happen?"


	3. Slow (Lovesquare Fluff Week Day 3)

**a/n: **ahahaha, so this started out kind of angsty, but I'm me. Angst in my thing. So like. I can't even be sorry. XD Thank you for reading!

**edit 11/13/19:** So I wrote this before I watched the season 3 finale (I was waiting until Chat Blanc and Felix came out to watch it), with Marinette's hair being down. I had no idea he said that in the series, too. But I'm not going to change it. Even if it makes me look like a copycat. XD

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**Lovesquare Fluff Week Day 3:** Dancing or smitten. / Ladrien

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Adrien's chin rested on his palm as he stared out his bedroom window. It was pouring outside, the rain coming down in cold, unforgiving sheets. Currently, he had some intricate piano song playing on his phone to give Nathalie the impression he was practicing should she be listening.

It wasn't like he had anything better to do than actually practice. But he wasn't in the mood. Adrien wanted nothing more than to vault through the streets of Paris. That was his only sense of freedom. And it was Friday afternoon, too. What better way to spend it than defying the laws of physics, moving fast and fluidly, as if no one could control him? Not Nathalie. Not his father. Not anyone.

The pouring rain told him otherwise.

"Lighten up, kid," Plagg told him, taking a casual bite of his camembert. "It's not the end of the world. If it stops, we can go out."

"It's not supposed to stop until after one in the morning," Adrien said, rolling his head back. "This sucks."

"It's not so bad," Plagg said. "It's warm and dry in here, and cold and wet out there."

An eye roll. Adrien sighed miserably, trying not to let it get to him. He was a superhero. Sure, he could fight villains and destroy whatever he wanted with just one touch. But controlling the weather was out of his range.

A flash of red caught his attention and made him still immediately.

Plagg zoomed to the other side of the room to hide. Adrien's eyes popped wide and he hurried to open his windows, calling out her name.

At first, he wasn't sure if she'd heard him. He wouldn't blame her—the rain poured and poured relentlessly, and it was deafening. But then her head snapped in his direction and their eyes met.

And then the rain became mute. He was getting wet now but he didn't care. All he saw, at that moment, was her. Everything else faded away.

He expected her to flee. To throw out her yo-yo and disappear into the night. But instead, the string of her yo-yo hooked onto his window sill and she was propelling herself upward, and all of a sudden a soaking-wet Ladybug was stumbling into his arms.

"Whoa," he murmured, immediately gripping her biceps to steady her. "Ladybug?"

"Sorry," she said hollowly. "I've been out here a while. Guess I'm tired."

Adrien frowned. Her tone was enough to open a chasm of worry in his stomach. "Why? It's raining."

She was quiet for such a long time that he wasn't sure if she'd actually answer him. But then, softly: "I'm sorry. Maybe I should go back home. I'm getting your floor all wet."

"Ladybug, it's no big deal," he said and it was too true. Whether she knew he was Chat or not, she was always welcome into his home. Erm, at least his room. Without his father knowing. Because his father probably wouldn't approve of a superhero walking around the Agreste mansion. Most of the time, Adrien wasn't even allowed to leave his room. Like now. Her company would brighten up his mood.

Except she didn't look too happy now. The chasm got bigger. Bigger. His frown deepened.

"Please, you don't have to leave," he said, and then: "I'll get you a towel. Actually, if you want, there's a hairdryer in there. You could clean up if you want. Not that you look bad! You definitely don't look bad. I just mean—" He stopped, releasing her arm to rub his neck sheepishly. "I'll shut up now."

She bestowed him with a tiny smile, color blooming on her cheeks. "...thank you, Adrien. You're very kind. I can wait here a minute, though. I don't want to track water all around your room."

Slowly, he smiled back. Then he was reaching behind her to pull the windows shut before circling around to grab a few towels from the bathroom. When he returned, she had that look on her face again, the one that bled uncertainty and worry.

"What's wrong, Ladybug?"

She jumped, startled, but accepted the towel nonetheless. She mumbled, "Nothing, really. It's been a tough day, I guess."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Her smile became sad. Brittle. "I don't think that's a good idea. Secret identities, and all that."

"Right," he murmured, crestfallen. He knew she was telling the truth, that she was only being cautious, but he hated seeing her so uneasy. The expression was foreign on her face.

"Thank you, though," she added suddenly as she patted her cheeks dry. "For asking. For caring."

"Of course I care," he said, hurrying to swallow the 'My Lady' that threatened to follow his declaration. "Just because you're Paris' superhero doesn't mean you're not human, too."

Ladybug looked stunned, for a moment. Then she repeated sincerely, "Thank you. I mean it. And..." She paused, abruptly nervous. "I, um... I might take you up on that offer. The h-hairdryer."

"Go right ahead," Adrien said instantly. "I wouldn't want you to get sick."

Pink dusted her cheeks again before she shyly excused herself to go clean up. Adrien used an extra towel to dry himself off. He wasn't soaked like Ladybug, but he was relatively wet from peering out an open window and catching his partner before she toppled headfirst into the floor.

When the bathroom door clicked shut, Plagg came out of hiding to give him a deadpan look. Said quietly, "Jeeze, kiddo, would you tone down the lovesick vibe? It's kind of making _me _sick."

Adrien turned to give him a halfhearted glare and hissed, "I'm worried about her, Plagg."

"She'll be fine. She's tough."

Adrien knew that she was tough. But there was a difference between tough and invincible. He slowly lowered himself onto his bed, not offering a verbal response. Instead, he reclined his back against his mattress and stared at the ceiling.

Plagg frowned. "I'm serious, kid. She'll be ok. Maybe you could do something to cheer her up."

"Like what?"

"Beats me. Tell her a joke."

"She doesn't like my jokes, Plagg."

"Says who?"

"Says her."

"Suuuure."

Adrien's frowned eased a little. This was Plagg's way of trying to cheer _him _up. And as always, it was working. He reached out to scratch under Plagg's chin with his index finger. "Thanks, bud."

The hairdryer shut off, which was Plagg's cue to retreat back to his hiding place. Adrien sat up again, waiting for her to come out. When she did, his eyes went wide.

Her hair. It was down. Framed her face perfectly, reaching just below her shoulders. In her right hand were the two ribbons that usually held her hair up.

He must have been staring a little too long because suddenly Ladybug was touching her face self-consciously. "What?"

"O-oh! Um. It's nothing, I just..." He swallowed. "I've never seen you with your hair down before."

"Is it weird?" she asked immediately, gripping the ribbons tighter. "I mean, I was going to put it back up but the ribbons are wet. But I guess I don't have a comb, so it probably looks bad, doesn't it? I just used my fingers."

"No! No, it doesn't look bad at all," Adrien hurried to say. "It... you look... nice."

Nice? Was that all he could say? Goodness, he was an idiot.

There was that blush again creeping over her cheekbones and making her look even _more _beautiful. Boy, he had it bad.

"Y-you think so?" she said with a timid smile. "Thanks." And then, with a giggle: "So, uh, what's all the piano music for?"

Adrien winced. Right. His phone was still playing music. It was easy to forget about it when a storm was raging outside. "It's kind of an old trick. I wasn't really feeling like practicing tonight, but my father is expecting me to."

She nodded. "I see. It's a beautiful song."

"Yeah," he said quietly. "I suppose it is."

Silence drifted between them, sudden but not uncomfortable. All that could be heard was the incessant thrum of the rain on the roof and the soft, melodic notes of the piano music on Adrien's phone. Ladybug glanced outside anxiously. "It doesn't look like it's going to let up soon."

"The weather app on my phone says it's supposed to keep raining till after dark."

Ladybug groaned quietly, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Right. Gosh, I am such an idiot. Coming out here while it's storming. Now that I'm dry I'm just going to get soaked again."

Adrien stood. "You're not an idiot. And..." He hesitated. "You could stay here awhile. I don't mind. Maybe the forecast is wrong. It could stop sooner than we expect."

She still looked unsure. "Maybe. But... are you sure? I don't want to impose."

"You're not imposing, I promise," Adrien reassured her. Then he smiled at her, all warmth and affection. Held out his hand. "Will you stay?"

There was a moment of hesitation, but it was brief. She accepted his hand and nodded, but squeaked when he pulled her to him.

"Oh. I'm sorry," he said, chuckling nervously. "I-is this ok?"

Their eyes met again, crisp green and soft, soft blue. And she nodded again, cheeks pink as she offered a smile of her own. Her hand pulled away from his so she could rest both of them on his shoulders, and his palms instinctively found her hips. Then they were moving. Slowly. Gradually. Swaying back and forth, back and forth. Dancing to the symphony of pouring rain and mellow piano notes.

She rested her cheek on his chest, close to his heart, and something about this position struck him as achingly familiar. As if he'd danced like this with her before.

"Thank you," she whispered again. "This... this is nice. I don't get to have a lot of slow moments like this."

"Anytime," he replied without hesitation. His heart stuttered and stumbled and he prayed she didn't notice. _My Lady._


	4. Warmth (Lovesquare Fluff Week Day 4)

**a/n: **Sorry, this is a day late. I was having an... off day, so everything I wrote felt awful. But I think I'm happy with this, even though it's cheesy. I'll try to have day 5 up later tonight. Thank you for reading!

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**Lovesquare Fluff Week Day 4:** Watching sunset. / LadyNoir

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"It's really pretty, don't you think?"

Chat blinked, hazy eyes settling on the sun that was slowly sinking into the horizon. Ladybug's gaze was trained on it, and her expression was soft. Like she was staring at a photograph that captured some of her fondest memories.

"Yeah," he said, nodding. "Sure is."

She leaned back, steadying most of her weight on her hands, watching the colors of the sky blend beautifully. Her hair swayed a little under the caress of the crisp mid-November breeze, and he was close enough to see the goosebumps that pebbled the skin on the back of her neck.

Chat froze.

Goosebumps.

Abruptly, he turned to face her, eyes widening with concern. "Ladybug, are you cold?"

The smile on her face twitched and faltered, but she played it off with a shrug. "A little, yeah. But it's alright. We'll leave after sunset, right?"

He nodded slowly, but he still didn't like the idea of her being cold. She always got cold easy, for whatever reason, and it didn't help that winter was approaching rapidly. Once the sun was below the horizon, it would no-doubt become even colder.

"Um... if you're ok with it," he started hesitantly, looking at her shyly, "you could come closer to me?"

She smirked at him. "Are you suggesting we cuddle?"

"N-no!" His eyes widened even further, feeling mortified. "I—I mean, if you want to, that's fine! But that's... that's not what I meant! I just meant... I'm naturally warmer than you, you know? So I thought..." His face was so pink he was going to die of shame. "Ugh. Never mind. I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to make a move on you, I promise."

Her expression softened. She reached forward to flick his bell. "I was teasing, kitty. I know you had good intentions. I don't mind."

He straightened. "What? Really?"

"I trust you," she murmured without hesitation, before scooting closer to him. "You know that, right?"

He blinked and blinked again. Then his shock melted into something fonder. Lighter. "Right. I trust you, too."

Her smile expanded just a fraction, and then she was leaning into him. Even through the magic suit, she seemed cold. If she was in civilian form, without the protection of her kwami's magic, he wondered if she'd be freezing.

"Oh my gosh," Ladybug said, pressing her cheek to his shoulder. "You _are _warm."

"Told you," he whispered, trying to swallow the lump in his throat. He could smell the faint traces of her shampoo, and... and was that, bread? She smelled like freshly-baked bread.

"Hey, wait," she said, pulling away suddenly. "This... this is alright, isn't it? Am I too close?"

"Not at all," he quipped. "I offered, remember?"

"Just making sure," Ladybug told him, lips twitching again. "It's not fair for people to hang on others without their permission. I respect your boundaries."

"Really, My Lady, I don't mind at all," he reassured her. Because she wasn't like the other females in his life—not like his fans, or Lila, or even Chloé. She wasn't hanging on him because she liked his celebrity status. She wasn't hanging on him, period. She was just leaning on him because she trusted him, soaking up his warmth, and he was ok with that.

"Besides," he murmured, "I don't like seeing you cold."

"You're sweet, Chat. Thank you."

She curled up one of her hands and brought it to her chest, knees folding up. Then she leaned on him again, and it took a lot of will power not to purr in this moment out of utter contentment.

"Can... can I see your hand?"

"Sure."

He took it tenderly like it was the most precious thing he could ever hold. Then he hissed, "Really, Ladybug, you're _freezing._"

A sheepish chuckle. "Ok, ok. Yeah, it's really cold. You caught me red-handed."

Something warm and fluttery shot through his body. He sputtered. "D-did you just make a pun, My Lady?"

There was a teasing glint in her eyes. "Maybe."

_You are the most amazing girl I have ever met._

Out loud: "Do... do you want to cut it short? You should head home and warm up."

"I really like the sunset," she murmured. "It reminds me of all things peaceful, you know? It's beautiful. I want to keep Paris safe for this reason. So people can enjoy peaceful moments like this. Sunsets, late afternoon strolls..."

"I know what you mean," he said quietly. "I thought we'd have defeated Hawkmoth by now."

"Me too," she admitted. "But we'll get there. I know we will."

"I know," he echoed. "We're Ladybug and Chat Noir."

She laughed—a musical, lovely sound, drifting between them with the ease of a summer cloud. She pulled her knees closer, and it came to Chat's attention that she was still shivering.

"Hey, Ladybug?" he said. When she looked at him, he asked, "Can... can I try something?"

"Of course."

Timidly, he snaked his arm around her waist and tugged, feeling his heart soar when she started laughing again. She let out of a soft squeal when he pulled her closer still, up to his chest so there was barely a hairsbreadth of space between them. Then his hands were on the back of hers, fingers threading through hers, and she didn't push him away. She just leaned into his body, her arms moving so they were resting on her stomach.

"You're so warm," she repeated with a happy sigh.

His chin rested on her shoulder. "So I've been told."

"How are you this warm?"

He shrugged. "Maybe it's something to do with the miraculous."

"Maybe," she echoed, her gaze weaving back to the setting sun. It was half-gone now.

Chat hummed. Maybe he was the one that was physically warm, but Ladybug's presence was warmer than anyone else he knew. She was like a candle that burned brightly in a dark room. For all that she teased him and rolled her eyes at his puns and antics, she was extremely affectionate. It had been a long time since he received that kind of affection.

Maybe it was selfish, but he couldn't remember the last time he'd been this close to someone and _wanted it_. He wished this moment could freeze in time, could exist forever, with Ladybug in his arms, watching the gorgeous sun that seemed to be glowing just for them.

It felt... nice.


	5. For You (Lovesquare Fluff Week Day 5)

**a/n: **ok, this totally could have been up this morning, and it was Marichat, but then it just felt so awkward, so I decided to do Ladynoir cos I'm still high on that after watching Chat Blanc. Tomorrow will be Marichat, though! Thank you for reading!

* * *

**Lovesquare Fluff Week Day 5: **Stargazing. / LadyNoir

* * *

Ladybug had everything prepared.

In a duffel bag, she had a thick blanket (she'd been sure not to grab one from her own room, lest Chat recognize it) and a small box that contained fresh pastries. It was a patrol night, but she'd noticed over the past couple of days that Chat hadn't been acting like himself, and it worried her to pieces. He still flirted and made those awful puns, but none of his smiles reached his eyes.

Something was eating at him. Ladybug didn't like it.

So she'd figured, once he got here, she'd spread out the blanket, eat, and watch Paris from their favorite rooftops. Patrolling the city didn't take that long, anyway, and she was fairly certain that, given that there was an akuma attack this morning, there wouldn't be a second one.

Or at least, she hoped.

"And here," she said to herself as she landed on the rooftop, nodding firmly.

She set the bag down gently, lowering herself to the ground next to it, and waited patiently for her partner to arrive. It was a surprise that he wasn't already here—most nights, Chat beat her to patrol.

She waited. And waited. And waited. Still no Chat. A frown surfaced on her face and just as she reached for her yo-yo to give him a call, she heard footsteps.

Ladybug turned her head. "Hey, Chat, there you are! I was..." She stopped as she caught a glimpse of his expression, which was wiped clean of emotion. In the moonlight, she could see the glimmer of tears. Her heart constricted and then pounded and then dropped, her smile fading instantly. "Chat? What's wrong?"

"Sorry I'm late," was all he said in reply, and his voice was strained. Almost robotic. Like he was trying to cleanse that of emotion, too, but couldn't quite squeeze out that last drop.

"It's... not a problem," she said slowly, before pushing herself to her feet. "Kitty, you look like you've been crying."

"Nah. I'm ok." He gave her this weird grimace thing that was probably supposed to be a smile. "Where do you want to start? The East? Or the West?"

Her mouth opened to reply, but no words came out. She could only stare.

"I was thinking I'd take the East side," he continued when she said nothing. He twirled his staff in a way that told her he was getting ready to vault off, and the idea didn't sit well with her at all. Not when he looked like this.

"Wait," she croaked, reaching for his wrist. She'd almost missed, but he froze when her fingertips grazed over his suit. "Tell me. Tell me what's wrong."

"It's nothing I won't get over," he murmured.

"But still! You're upset! And I will _destroy_ anyone who upsets my kitty."

That made Chat pause. Her expression was fierce as she said the words, but it softened when he finally looked at her, because his eyes were wide with surprise and his mouth was agape.

Then he was finally smiling, but it wasn't his usual "I'm-going-tease-you-relentlessly" smile. He said, "I appreciate the offer, My Lady, but this... I don't think you could get away with destroying my father."

Her heart did that thing again. Convulsed and plummetted like a stone in water. She didn't know much about his father—only bits and pieces—but from what she'd heard, she knew he wasn't all that great of a person.

"Yeah?" she said anyway, with a deep scowl, but it was not directed at Chat. Never at Chat. "I'll accept that challenge, kitty. You're my partner. I will defend you against anyone till my last breath."

It was a vow. A promise. And she meant it with every fiber, every thread, of her being. Because nobody—_nobody—_messed with her partner, family or not. Because Chat deserved that.

"...thank you, My Lady," he breathed out quietly. "That, um. That means a lot."

She reached forward to tap him on the nose. "Of course. Is..." She paused, choosing her words carefully. She didn't want to make him tell her more than he was comfortable with. "Is that what's been bothering you all week? Your father?"

Her question was met with silence. Chat swallowed, his gaze dropping to his boots. "You're the only one who can see through me, huh, LB?"

The smile she gave him was gentle. Soft. "I worry about you, sometimes."

"Only sometimes?"

Ok. Moment ruined. She gave him a playful shove, rolling her eyes. The smile remained. "You know what I mean, Chat."

"Yeah," he murmured, and this time, when his lips twitched, it was genuine. "I do."

The look they shared was full of warmth and understanding. She reached up again, rubbing his cheeks with her thumbs and wiping away the tears. She could never truly understand him—not his life, at home or elsewhere—but she could still offer him her unwavering support. He leaned into her touch like he'd been starved of physical affection for far too long, eyes starting to close before he realized what he was doing.

"Um..." he hedged suddenly, clearing his throat. "Should we, uh, start on patrol?"

"Actually," she said. "I was thinking... that we could take a small break?"

He blinked at her. Echoed, "A break?"

She turned around to grab the duffle bag that sat untouched near the edge of the rooftop. Then she was zipping it open, pulling out the box of pastries. And the blanket. When she looked back up at him, she was beaming. "I know it's not much, but I... I really wanted to cheer you up. I made the croissants myself, and—"

Her words were cut short when Chat suddenly threw his arms around her, squeezing tightly. Her heart thundered in her chest, startled almost enough to drop what she'd been holding, but recovered quickly.

"Thank you," he murmured into her shoulder, voice quaking. His grip tightened as he spoke. "Thank you so much, Ladybug."

Slowly, she returned his embrace—well, as best she could when her hands were full—and she squeezed. "You're so welcome, Chat. I just want you to be ok."

Because outside of the suit, she couldn't see him. She'd always thought that she'd be able to notice him immediately, could pick him out of a line-up. But the truth was, the magic wouldn't allow that. The magic of the miraculous blocked so much more than she could ever imagined. So she wouldn't know if this boy who trembled in her arms was hurting. She wouldn't know unless she saw him in costume.

Even though she knew the reasoning behind keeping their identities secret, the thought made her heart ache.

She lingered in his embrace for just a few moments longer because it was obvious that he needed this. But in the end, it was Chat who pulled away, and she saw him blinking away tears again.

"Help me set up the blanket?" she whispered.

His laughter was full and rich. "Of course, My Lady."

She set the box of croissants down, but only for about ten seconds. Then she was popping it open, sitting under the stars with her partner, her best friend. She watched as Chat plucked one from the box and lit up as he took his first bite.

She beamed. "You like them?"

"My Lady, I _love _them. They're so good."

The rest of patrol was spent enjoying the croissants and stargazing, pointing out the vague shapes of the constellations and basking in the soft ivory glow of the moon. Chat was grinning the entire time—a genuine, beautiful grin that she was used to seeing, one that warmed her up inside and made her traitorous heart thump, thump, thump.

Yes, she thought to herself. They deserved this night off.


	6. Late Night (Lovesquare Fluff Week Day 6)

**a/n:** I totally haven't done this trope before. Never. Nope. XD I love to torture the cinnamon roll. Thank you for reading!

* * *

**Lovesquare Fluff Week Day 6: **Bedsharing or napping. / Marichat

* * *

It wasn't all that weird for Chat Noir to show up on her balcony after the sun went down.

Most of the time, Marinette didn't ask why. Because Marinette wasn't _supposed_ to know why. It was Ladybug who knew that Chat spent a lot of time locked up in his house and that he cherished each free moment he could get. That sunset meant isolation and loneliness, and she didn't blame him for wanting to escape.

So she let him in. She fed him cookies and croissants and smiled when his face lit up, only for him to make some awful pun that stole the smile right off her face. Really, this cat was too much.

This night wasn't too out of the ordinary. It was nearing eleven on a Friday night, and Marinette was working quietly on one of her designs. Chat had been here for almost an hour. The scratch of her pencil on her sketchbook and the faint whisper of Chat's breathing filled the room as she worked. She was humming softly under her breath, occasionally sneaking glances up at Tikki, who was hiding up on her loft, careful not to be seen by her partner.

Her humming suddenly came to a halt as she tapped her pencil against her lip. Something wasn't quite right with this one, but she wasn't sure what. Asking Tikki's opinion was too risky, at least with Chat in the room. So that only left him...

"Chat?" she said without looking up from her sketchbook. "Chat. C'mere for a second, please?"

She gave him a while. Waited. Waited. No response came.

Blinking, Marinette turned in her chair. "Chat, did you—oh."

Her voice trailed off as she saw why he didn't answer. Sprawled out on her chaise, with his eyes closed and a peaceful expression on his face... it was obvious Chat was asleep.

_That explains why he's been so quiet for so long,_ she mused, lips twitching with the threat of a smile. _I should have known. Although..._

As much as she hated to disturb him, Marinette wasn't sure how her parents would react if they came upstairs to wake her in the morning and saw that she wasn't alone. She should probably wake him up and send him home.

"Chat," she murmured again, standing from her desk. "Hey. Time to wake up."

Nothing. Chat was out cold.

"Tikki," she hissed, turning around. "What do I do?"

Hesitantly, Tikki came out of her hiding place, eyeing Chat contemplatively. "You should wake him."

"Duh! But how am I supposed to wake him?" she asked, keeping her voice low. "Especially when he looks so... so—"

A soft, quiet whimper made her freeze. Tikki ducked hastily behind the railing of her loft with a muffled squeak, and slowly, gradually, Marinette turned back around to see what caused Chat to produce such a sound.

The tranquility in his expression was gone, and instead, his face was contorted with fear. His clawed fingers were digging into her chaise and he nuzzled his cheek into one of her throw pillows, mumbling something into the fabric that she couldn't quite catch.

Then, brokenly: "Nathalie... please... don't let father take me out of school..."

Marinette's heart plummeted somewhere way below her ribcage, and her breath became a prisoner in her throat. Was... what was happening? Was he having some sort of nightmare? Her stomach clenched at the thought.

"Chat?" she repeated in a whisper, eyes soft and soulful as she took a hesitant step toward him.

When she reached out to touch him, he recoiled away from her fingers. His fingers dug deeper into her chaise and his breath stuttered. Became quick and shaky. "I—I won't do it again... I promise..."

Wait a second.

Nathalie.

_Nathalie._

Nathalie was... she was Adrien's father's assistant, wasn't she? Or was it just a coincidence? She swallowed anxiously, recalling the other snippet of his mumbled sentence about not wanting to be taken out of school.

Adrien was afraid of being homeschooled again.

"Oh, Chat," she said forlornly, trying desperately not to linger on that bit of information too long and failing miserably. "Shh... hey. It's a nightmare, ok?"

Her words fell on deaf ears. Chat merely whimpered again, and then he let out what sounded like a sob. And quiet as it was, the noise still sent a spiderweb of cracks through her heart.

"Tikki," she repeated, keeping her eyes locked on Chat Noir.

Tikki seemed to know exactly what she was thinking. She hissed in warning, "Marinette—"

"Spots on."

Red magic washed over her as her kwami was summoned into her earrings, and gently, cautiously, soundlessly, Ladybug slipped her hands underneath Chat's body and hauled him up. She carried him effortlessly up the ladder and onto the loft, moving like he was made of delicate porcelain, and only when she had him tucked into her blankets did she call off her transformation, pleasantly ignoring Tikki's disapproving look.

A disapproving look that soon shifted into something much softer as she saw Chat's still-troubled expression. She said, "I don't like this. But I don't want to see Chat suffer, either."

Marinette barely paused to nod, instinctively crawling into the bed beside him. She pressed her cheek to his back, wrapping her arms around his waist. Then she murmured into his suit, "It's ok, kitty. I promise."

She felt rather than saw him take a deep breath. Felt his shoulders tense.

"I'm right here," she assured quietly, and repeated it over and over again until his the tension in his body dissipated, until his breath became less fragmented, until the things that haunted him in his dreams faded away.

Eventually, Chat stirred and shifted. Mumbled sleepily, "...Mari...Marinette...?"

"Shh," she said faintly, soothingly. "Don't worry. Just go back to sleep. Everything's ok."

Marinette kept her face nuzzled into his back, hoping her words were enough to coax him back into slumber. A few moments later, she heard a soft rumbling noise. Felt his body quake against hers. He was purring.

Marinette finally allowed herself to smile again. That was a good sign.

She could worry about all the details later. She could face the possible reveal of his identity later. All she cared about now was making sure that look of anguish never crossed his features again, awake or asleep.


	7. Trivia (Lovesquare Fluff Week Day 7)

**a/n: **ok, so this one was supposed to be up yesterday before Fluff Week ended, but I got distracted working on something else. XD But here it is! The last prompt! And it was supposed to only be like, 1k, and super silly, but it just did _not _want to end. So I hope that makes up for it being late. I could have kept going with it, but I'm tired, lol. Also, I'm open to continuing this series, should more prompts/challenges arrive! For now, though, I'm marking it complete. Thank you for reading, I'll shut up now! (I'll edit this tomorrow. There are probably mistakes.)

* * *

**Lovesquare Fluff Week Day 7:** Height differences. / LadyNoir

* * *

Marinette was used to Alya talking about Ladybug. She was used to hearing all the updates on the Ladyblog. Played dumb when akumas were mentioned. Acted surprised and amazed when Alya told her about how Ladybug and Chat Noir won each battle. It was second nature, at this point.

What she _hadn't _been expecting was for Alya to talk about putting up a trivia page.

"Think about it," Alya persisted excitedly, her hands clasping together. "It'd be so cool! We could learn neat facts about our favorite superheroes!"

"Um, Alya," Marinette began, trying to do some damage control. "That might not be the smartest idea. Doesn't that put their secret identities at risk? Besides, they deserve just as much privacy as you and me."

But Alya was already in that mode where she was dead-set on reaching her goal and nothing else mattered. Marinette could tell her words had gone right over her head. She looked at Nino for help.

"Nino?" she asked tentatively. "Don't you think it's a bit extreme?"

Nino blinked upon being addressed so suddenly, but his surprise shifted into a thoughtful expression. "I dunno, dude. It _does_ seem like it's an invasion of privacy. But it would be cool to like, know their birthdays. Maybe not the birth year, but the month and day! We could send them birthday wishes and stuff."

That was a good idea, in theory. But it would be awkward and risky because everyone in her class—including Alya and Nino—knew her birthday. Sure, she could just make up a fake one and roll with it, but what if she forgot? What if she mixed up the days? Way, way too risky.

"What about Rena Rouge and Carapace?" she tried again, trying not to sound too desperate. "Are you going to ask them for personal information, too?"

There it was. Her way out. Nino and Alya looked at each other in something akin to panic, but Nino cleared his throat, recovering quickly. "Uh, actually, Alya, she has a point. They have secret identities to protect."

Alya's shoulders slumped. "Yeah. I see." She flashed Marinette a quick, apologetic smile. "Sorry, girl. I just got so excited. It'd be so cool if we could do it! Like how certain websites tell you how tall celebrities are. For all we know, Ladybug could be as tall as you or me!"

Uh-oh. Marinette needed to get this under control and _fast._

Her eyes widened even further when Adrien's voice asked curiously from behind her, "Why do you want to know how tall Ladybug is?"

"Alya was considering making a trivia page on the Ladyblog, but I don't think she's going to do it," Nino answered, looking noticeably perkier than Marinette.

Adrien made a strange noise, which prompted Marinette to turn around to look at him curiously. His eyes were blown wide like hers had been when she'd first heard of Alya's idea, and he went slightly pale like the mere suggestion of it horrified him—or at the very least, surprised him. But the horror quickly disappeared, instead shifting into something much lighter. Amusement. Like there was some inside joke that Marinette didn't know about. He said, "Oh, I see."

Marinette wondered what he thought on the subject. She did not dare say that out loud, lest she look like a blubbering idiot in front of Adrien. That, and she felt uncomfortable with continuing on this topic. She had a secret identity to protect, after all.

That thought went out the window when Alya said, "You know, Marinette, you're probably closer to her height than me."

Double uh-oh.

Suddenly Adrien's eyes lit up. "Wow, Marinette. She might actually be right. You're around her height."

_How would you know that? _

But the words never left her lips. Didn't get the chance. Because she was completely mortified by the very thought of them coming close to figuring her out. She squeaked and stammered, not knowing what else to do.

"Um, I—I doubt that," she said, very unconvincingly, feeling her face grow hotter, hotter, hotter. This was getting so bad. They were stepping into dangerous waters. Despite her nervousness, however, she shot them her brightest smile. Wide enough to make her face hurt. She blurted, "Uh! Anyway! Gotta go to the bathroom! You know, before class starts!"

She darted out of the classroom before anyone could stop her, moving like she was running after an akuma. She did not stop until she reached her destination, and only after checking each stall to prove that the bathroom was empty did she open her purse and let Tikki out.

"Tikki," she said hysterically. "This is a disaster! What if Alya actually decides to go through with this trivia thing?"

Tikki, though, looked less than worried. She smiled gently up at Marinette. "Nino and Alya already told you that it was a bad idea, didn't they? It was very smart of you to bring up Carapace and Rena Rouge."

"Maybe, but..." She bit her lip nervously. "Alya has a tendency to get carried away sometimes. What if she changes her mind? They just pointed out that I'm her height! Which makes perfect sense because Ladybug is, hello, _me._"

"I don't think she'll do that," Tikki reassured. "Besides, they probably won't think much of it. The magic protects your identity, and it does that for a reason."

Marinette wasn't entirely convinced. "But Adrien guessed right on point. And there's no way that he would know!"

Abruptly, Tikki looked alarmed at the mention of Adrien. Almost panicked. But she was quick to school her expression, just like Adrien had done minutes before. She smiled again. "Adrien doesn't exactly keep his admiration for Ladybug on the down-low."

The thought made her face feel warm again. Warmer than warm. If she were to look in a mirror right now, she was sure she was blushing. Adrien? Like Ladybug? But that didn't mean he _liked-_liked her!

"Ugh," she said, burying her face into her hands and peering at Tikki through the cracks of her fingers. Mumbled again, "This is a disaster."

Tikki just kept smiling, a softness in her eyes that existed for only her. "It's going to be fine, Marinette."

* * *

It was not fine.

It was not fine because, as soon as Ladybug got to her meeting place for patrol, she was pacing. Chat was not here yet. She needed Chat to be here so they could do their routine and she could go home just to pace some more.

Maybe she was thinking too hard on this. But if Alya persisted with the idea of the trivia page, how would she deflect the scrutiny? This was not good for her head. Or her heart. Or any other part of her body, for that matter.

"Good evening, My Lady," came a familiar, smooth voice. "Hey, Ladybug, are... are you ok?"

"Fine," she squeaked, immediately turning to face him. "You're late."

She didn't say it as an accusation. It was merely an observation. She wasn't angry, not really. She herself was late to patrol sometimes. But it probably came out as an accusation because Chat suddenly winced, rubbing his neck sheepishly.

"Sorry," he said, chuckling nervously. "I kind of got distracted with... oh, never mind. It's not important."

That made Ladybug pause in her steps. She raised a brow, genuinely curious. "What? Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong," he assured her quickly. "I just, um... I heard something interesting today and..."

Ladybug blinked. "And...?"

"It's really silly," he said, his cheeks turning pink. "I heard that Marinette Dupain-Cheng was around your height! And I was curious! So I may have... dropped by... just to see if she was home, and... well, she wasn't. Maybe she was out or something, though! It's fine."

Ladybug's stomach sank somewhere near her feet. Her eyes bulged, frozen with shock, as the magnitude of Chat's words hit her. It caught on. Oh, no... it had caught on. The word was already spreading.

_This is a disaster! This is awful! This is absolutely, truly, dreadfully awful! Tikki said the magic would protect me!_

Except... wait.

"You.. went to her house?" she whispered, eyes still wide. She hadn't seen or heard Chat before she left for patrol. Still. This called for even more damage control. She cleared her throat and continued, "Chat, that's um... that's dangerous. What if somebody had seen you?"

"I didn't go in or anything," he said quickly, raising his hands in mock surrender. "I just knocked, and when she didn't answer I left! That's all!" Then he curled in on himself, looking down in shame. "You're right, Ladybug. I'm sorry. I promise I wasn't trying to put you or Marinette at risk. I was just curious."

Immediately, her anxiety and irritation were put on hold. She hadn't meant to reprimand or upset him. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt Chat's feelings with her scolding. Especially because, for all Chat's confidence and jokes, he was actually quite frail. He was one of the most sensitive people she knew.

"Kitty..." she hedged, walking over to him. Her hand came to rest on his shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. Gave him her warmest smile. "I know you didn't mean any harm. Don't beat yourself up about it, ok? I doubt Marinette would hold you responsible for what Alya said, anyway."

Chat tensed under her hand. "How did you know it was Alya?"

Ladybug froze again. The softness was gone in an instant, replaced swiftly by horror. She took a step back, mortified. "Wh-what?"

Chat looked equally stunned. "You said—"

"No, I didn't. I didn't say anything." She whirled around, trying not to hyperventilate. "I didn't. Nope. Absolutely not."

"Um, My Lady. Yeah, you did," he said slowly. "I heard you."

"You didn't hear anything. In fact, you heard the opposite of something. You heard nothing!"

She'd screwed up. She'd screwed up _bad. _Gosh, what were Master Fu and Tikki going to think? She'd been told over and over again since she was chosen as Ladybug that keeping her identity secret was extremely important, and with just a few words, she'd blew it.

_This is not happening. This is not happening._

Except she was saying it out loud, over and over again, like her voice was enough to make it true. She paced and paced, her whole body starting to shake with the—

"Ladybug," Chat was calling out, his fingertips brushing against her arm. "Ladybug, hey, _breathe_. It's ok."

"It's not," she blurted, her voice strained with hysteria. "This is bad. I blew it. I can't believe that I—"

"Hey." He was holding her now, meeting her gaze. His eyes were full of adoration and warmth. "It's ok, Ladybug. Really. It was an accident. If anything, this is my fault. I shouldn't have said anything."

She swallowed and swallowed again. Her eyes were damp when she looked at him. "You... you know who I am."

"Do you want to make it fair? Do you want to know who I am?"

"No!"

Chat winced, and then looked hurt. Rejected, even. "I see."

"No, Chat, that's... that's not what I meant, I promise," Ladybug went on hastily. "Honest. I just meant... darn it, Tikki is going to be _so _mad at me. She told me it would be fine! She did! And it's not! I—"

Her voice broke. She felt like sobbing.

"Hey, hey, hey," Chat kept repeating. "You didn't do it on purpose. And... and I couldn't be happier, knowing who you are."

Hesitantly, timidly, she met his eyes once more. Her panic dimmed somewhat. "...really?"

Suddenly he grinned. "It actually makes so much sense."

That confused her. "What? Why?"

"Because of your insistence that you weren't Ladybug's height. And how fast you bolted when I agreed with Alya."

"Chat, that doesn't—"

She stopped as she processed his words. As she connected all the dots. Her eyes were so wide that it almost hurt. Chat was grinning like a kid in a candy store.

"...are you serious?" she murmured softly. "Oh my goodness. You're serious."

"Surprise?"

"A-Adrien?"

"That's me," he said happily. "This is... wow."

"Tikki was right," she said in awe. "The magic really _was _protecting us. I mean, you... you sit right in front of me!"

His eyes were twinkling, and suddenly he was lifting her up, twirling her in a circle. "My Lady... you've made me the happiest I've ever been."

And she was giggling, returning his embrace, because they were so silly. For so long, her partner was right in front of her. Literally. And she didn't know. Honestly, she felt stupid for not knowing.

Wait a second.

Adrien was Chat Noir.

Adrien just called her his lady. Adrien had been calling her his lady since day one. Adrien had confessed his love to her multiple times, and she'd turned him down. _For himself. _

Oh, boy. Ladybug needed to sit down for this one.


	8. Concert (Lovesquare Fluff Week Day 1)

**a/n: **sorry i'm late to the party cos it's like day 6 or whatever but this got wayyyy longer than i expected so, maybe that makes up for it? tysm for reading. 💖 this is also unedited, and i don't know much about concerts, but this is ffn, so we'll just ignore the details. ;)

* * *

**lovesquarefluffweek2020 Day 1: **Concert / Ladrien

* * *

"—you're _sure _you can't come?"

"I wish I could, Nino. But my father... he'd be upset if I asked again. He made himself clear the first time."

Marinette tried desperately to ignore the aching disappointment that splintered through her body when she caught the tail end of Nino and Adrien's conversation as they entered Ms Bustier's classroom. It wasn't Adrien's fault that his father was so overprotective. And the last thing she wanted was to get Adrien in trouble because they begged him to ask another time. She didn't want to step on his father's toes.

She made the mistake of looking up as Nino and Adrien made their way into their seats. Adrien looked _miserable_—like it absolutely crushed him that he couldn't go to Jagged Stone's concert. And she didn't blame him. They'd all gotten tickets, so it wasn't like he couldn't go because he didn't get the chance to purchase his way in.

(Maybe it wasn't her place, but part of her felt offended that his father had stripped this opportunity for a fun night from him. He already had the tickets. Sure, she knew that Adrien came from a wealthy family, but what was the point of letting him buy the tickets if he was going to decide, in the end, that Adrien couldn't go? That was cruel.)

"That's not fair, bro," Nino went on, resting a hand on his shoulder. "And after he already told you last week that you _could _go... man. I'm sorry."

Adrien slumped in his seat, looking like a beaten kitten. He looked strikingly like Chat Noir at that moment—lips pulled into a sorrowful frown, eyes downcast. She hated seeing Chat upset, and she hated seeing Adrien upset. It was unfair for her to feel hurt by Adrien's absence when she _knew _he was hurting even more.

"I'm sorry, Adrien," she murmured before she could stop herself.

"No, it's not your fault, Marinette." He looked turned to look at her, giving her a reassuring smile. But it wasn't a real smile—she knew from experience how hard it was to smile when you were screaming in on the inside. "I should have expected this. It was stupid for me to get my hopes up."

That stung.

"It's not stupid," she argued firmly. "You're allowed to be upset! Nino's right. It's not fair that he changed his mind. I just wish..." Marinette trailed off, feeling heat pool in her cheeks as Adrien's eyes widened in surprise. Suddenly every coherent word left her brain, and she struggled to remember how to form proper sentences now that she realized she had his full attention. "I—I... I wish I c-could help more... that's all."

Adrien blinked. And blinked again. Marinette's cheeks felt even hotter, especially when she heard him laugh softly.

Her brow shot up. "...what?"

"Nothing, it's just..." He smiled again—a more genuine one, this time—sweeping his gaze over her and Nino. "It's nice of you guys to get angry for me. Maybe that sounds weird... I just appreciate it. Thank you. It means a lot to know that you'd help if you could."

Nino reached out to squeeze his shoulder. "You know we want you there, my dude."

It was a few seconds later that Alya returned from her bathroom break, blinking as she noticed the two boys who had just arrived. "Oh. What'd I miss? Why do you guys look upset?"

"Adrien's dad won't let him go to the concert this weekend," Nino answered.

"What?" Even Alya looked upset. "But we've already got the—"

"I know," Adrien said, shoulders slumping again. "It doesn't matter. Maybe I'll give my ticket to someone who didn't get the chance to go."

Marinette's expression softened as she stared at him, wishing she knew what to say to comfort him. They'd all been looking forward to this concert for _months. _As someone who knew Jagged Stone personally, she'd practically gotten a backstage pass, and discounted tickets.

Alya made a sympathetic noise. "Sorry, Adrien. That sucks." And then: "If... if it makes you feel better, Ladybug and Chat Noir were invited, too, but both of them admitted to not being able to come."

She sounded incredibly disappointed as she spoke, which made Marinette wince. The only reason she'd declined Jagged Stone's offer to come as Ladybug was that she was going as Marinette, and she had no idea how she'd be able to handle being in two places at once. It was a disaster to even—

Wait a minute.

Marinette's eyes popped as an idea struck her. She stood without hesitation, quick and sudden enough to cause her friends to look at her in confusion, and stammered as an explanation, "Uh! Bathroom! Be back!"

She dashed off without waiting for a reply, mind already whirling, working through the beginnings of a plan.

True to her word, Marinette had gone to the bathroom, and after making sure she was alone, she locked herself in one of the stalls and opened her purse to let her kwami out.

"Tikki—"

"No."

Marinette frowned. "I didn't even explain yet!"

"I know, but I heard the conversation you were having with your friends, and I know what you're thinking," she replied, floating upward so she was eye-level with Marinette. "You know you aren't supposed to use your superpowers for selfish gain, Marinette."

"It's not for me," she defended with a hint of desperation in her voice. Didn't Tikki understand? "It's... you heard how upset Adrien was! He wants to go!"

The disapproval in Tikki's gaze softened a little. "But you're going as _Marinette_."

"Yeah, I am." She nodded. "But maybe I could... sneak away? Maybe for a little bit? It doesn't have to be for long, I just hate to see him look so sad... seeing a little bit of the concert is better than not going at all."

Tikki paused contemplatively. "But it would go against his father's wishes."

"Well..."

Marinette trailed off. That was also true. She didn't want to get him in trouble. But...

"Maybe I'll stop by, and see if he'd like to join me for maybe a half-hour? If not, I'll just go back to the concert as Marinette and everything will be fine."

There was another pause, and Marinette held her breath. While Tikki couldn't exactly _stop _her from calling on her transformation when she wanted to, she didn't want to go against her kwami's words. It was a mutual decision.

"Ok," Tikki decided finally. "But what if someone sees you with Adrien? What if it gets back to his father and he gets in trouble?"

Marinette grinned. "I have an idea."

* * *

Marinette spent the next few days planning. While she'd grown accustomed to coming up with plans on the spot due to all the akumas she'd faced, she wanted this one to be perfect. If she messed up, her secret identity _and _her relationship with Adrien was at stake. After all, if Adrien were to get in trouble, what would his father do? Take him out of school? Forbid him from ever seeing them again? The thought made her feel ill.

Thus, everything needed to be in order and go exactly the way she needed them to.

Which meant no akumas. She hoped, hoped, _hoped _there wouldn't be an akuma the night of the concert. Not until after she dropped Adrien back off at home. She was Ladybug. Ladybugs were lucky. She just needed to squeeze out a little bit of that luck for Marinette, too.

So, until Saturday night, Marinette stayed on her toes. Kept her eye out for purple butterflies. It seemed her luck was paying off, too, because the days passed with ease. She stayed up late Friday night doing her homework so the next day would be completely open.

"Ready?" Tikki asked quietly Marinette looked in the mirror one last time.

"Marinette! Alya's here," her mama called up to her through her trap door.

"Well, if I wasn't, I think I'd be in trouble," she said with a giggle. "Since Alya's here already."

Tikki smiled at her before she dove into her purse, and not a moment sooner, she heard wood creaking. Someone was moving up the ladder. Seconds later, Alya popped her head in with an eager grin. Echoed, "Ready?"

There was a twinkle in her eye that Alya would probably never understand as she nodded. But as Marinette turned to grab one last thing, she heard Alya ask, "Hey, are you bringing your schoolwork with you or something?"

She winced. Of course taking her backpack would draw a little bit of attention. She hadn't really thought _that _part through. But she was Ladybug—and Ladybug was always thinking on her feet.

"It's just a bunch of just-in-case stuff," she replied airily, before sliding her arms through the straps. "You know. Water, a change of clothes... I'm clumsy, remember? Figured I can't be too careful."

It was a jab at her own pride, but since Alya was quick to laugh it off, Marinette decided it was worth it.

Thirty minutes later had her rushing through a giant crowd of people. It was an outdoor concert, so she thought it'd be a little less cramped—especially since they'd arrived a little early—but she was wrong. People were everywhere, spawning from every corner she could see. From every block. This shouldn't have been a surprise. People _loved _Jagged Stone.

"Nino's supposed to be here soon," Alya pretty much shouted into her ear so she could be heard over the crowd.

"Where will he be?" Marinette replied loudly. "Can you call him? How are we supposed to find him?"

Alya said something else, but it was lost over the noise of all these people. She strained her ears, asking her to repeat it, but it seemed Alya couldn't hear her, either. The only thing keeping them together was Alya's strong grip on Marinette's wrist.

Except... wait. Maybe this was her chance? She'd like to have stayed a little into the concert before she left to see Adrien because they literally _just arrived, _and there was still a little bit to go before the concert started, but... but maybe she wouldn't get another opportunity to leave?

_Now or never, I guess._

_Adrien... I hope you have a good time._

With her mind made up, Marinette slowed to a halt and tugged hard on Alya's wrist. This had the desired effect—Alya turned to face her, confusion evident in her expression. She called, "What is it?"

"I think I left... my phone at home," she said, even though her phone was in her backpack. She hated lying, but this was for Adrien! "You go find Nino, and I'll meet you at, um..." She looked around, but it was hard for her to see over people's heads. "...the front of the Eiffel Tower?"

Alya laughed. "All that stuff your bag, and you forgot your phone? Marinette, Marinette, Marinette..."

Heat crawled into her cheeks, but she forced out a giggle. "Um! Yeah! Silly me, right?"

"Well... we can text your parents and tell them that if you need to get ahold of them, they can contact me?" Alya suggested. "That way you don't have to backtrack. We made it all the way here, and it took us a while."

That was such a sweet gesture, but... "What if I get separated from you? Then I'd have no way to call!"

"True," Alya said. "Alright, girl. I'll call text Nino and see where he is and where to meet up. Text me when you're back on your way!"

Alya released her, and Marinette apologized mentally to her best friend as she watched her run off into the crowd and didn't decide to move until she couldn't see her anymore.

_Alright. Step one: Find a safe place to transform._

It took a while to find a way out of the sea of people, but eventually, she made it. Ducked behind a building, triple-checking to make sure she hadn't been followed or watched, before setting her backpack down and calling on her transformation very quietly. The warm rush of magic was welcomed.

"Step two: a disguise," she murmured, unzipping her bag to reveal a black t-shirt and loose black pants. Not ideal for spending time with Adrien Agreste, nor was it the best idea that she could come up with, but it worked. She just didn't want to draw attention to herself—especially when Adrien wasn't supposed to be going out at all. It was rapidly getting dark, so she could use that to her advantage, but Ladybug's suit was still bright red. She didn't blend in with the night sky the way Chat Noir did. So she'd have to improvise.

Pulling on clothes over her suit wasn't really a problem, but now it was time for the third step in her plan: stow away the backpack, at least for now, because the last thing she wanted was for Adrien to find out her identity over something so insignificant.

That, and what if she ran into Alya, who'd seen her with the bag, and connected the dots? She'd already had to be cautious with what clothes she picked out, but then, if Adrien said something, she could always say that "Marinette" had given it to her. Tikki's magic would protect her from a lot, but she wasn't taking any more risks than she had to. Not tonight.

"Careful," she whispered to herself, clutching the backpack tightly. It felt like Tikki was sitting on her shoulder, watching her every move. "Don't get caught."

Getting to her balcony to drop off her bag and then to Adrien's was like fighting an akuma. She'd had to move very slowly at times, and then she'd had to move swiftly, every step calculated. Every breath was measured. The only difference between now and akuma attacks was that Chat Noir was not by her side.

Her heart was pounding by the time she reached the Agreste mansion, but not out of exertion. Suddenly she felt incredibly nervous—what if Adrien didn't want to go against his father's wishes? What if he said no? All that meant was that Ladybug would make her way back to her meeting place with Alya as Marinette, but it also felt like rejection.

Or maybe it was wrong of her to think that. Adrien's father was the strictest man she'd ever met. Of course Adrien wouldn't want to disobey him.

_Well... there's only one way to find out._

Ladybug threw out her yo-yo so he could reach Adrien's bedroom window with ease, having done it so many times in the past, and was surprised to find it was open. She was even more surprised to find Adrien staring off longingly in the distance through said window.

"Wha—Ladybug?"

"Hi," she said shyly, trying to ignore the way her cheeks felt hot. She could talk to him normally. She could. Yeah.

"Hi," he echoed, seeming just as timid, and then asked, "What're you doing here?" Quickly added, "I mean, not that it's a problem! I'm just curious, that's all!"

His cheeks were tinged pink as he spoke, and for a few long moments, it was the only thing Ladybug could focus on. Then she realized that he'd asked her a question and was patiently awaiting a response.

"Oh! Right. Um, you see... I heard from Marinette Dupain-Cheng that your... was it your father? Who wouldn't let you go to the concert?" she asked, just to be safe. Dazedly, Adrien nodded, and she continued, "Well... I thought, maybe I'd stop by to check on you. Not to be weird or anything! I just..."

Darn it, she was screwing this up. She was Ladybug! She was confident!

"Marinette said you seemed really upset," she tried again. "She said you already had tickets? And I was invited to the concert, too, you know. So I thought... maybe, if you want, you could join me for a little bit? I can't stay for the whole thing, of course..."

Then again, she was going to be sneaking around anyway, so it wasn't like Adrien _needed _to provide his ticket, if she was careful. That felt deceitful—especially because it was an _outdoor _concert and they'd just be listening from a distance—but she pushed down the guilt that accompanied that thought, internally shaking her head. This was for Adrien.

Adrien, who, for some reason, was gaping at her in awe, not breathing a word. Instantly, Ladybug felt self-conscious. Was she wrong to come here? Was she overstepping her boundaries? Even if she only went with Adrien for half an hour, was that still too risky?

Ladybug winced. Maybe the whole plan was a bad idea. "Actually, you know what? This... this was stupid. I'll—"

"Wait," Adrien said, seemingly finally finding his voice. "I want to go! I'll go!"

She froze, eyes widening, breath leaving her all in one go. "Really? You want to?"

"Of course I do," he said, beaming like a ray of sunshine. "It's ok if you can't stay for the whole thing! Did... did Marinette really tell you all that? Did she set this up?"

Her expression softened, cheeks still feeling warm, and she nodded. "She did, yeah. She was worried about you."

A strange look crossed Adrien's face. It was a mix of adoration, awe, and glee. "How... amazing..."

_Don't make it weird. Don't make it weird, _she repeated to herself, over and over, fighting back the urge to babble and stutter like an idiot. But wow, did he just call her amazing? Did he mean it? Adrien Agreste thought she was amazing!

"Y-yeah," she murmured, hoping he couldn't tell how hard she was blushing. "So, um, how long do you think you can be out before your father notices?"

"I doubt he'll come up and check on me since I've already eaten supper. He usually doesn't," Adrien said, and there was an undertone she couldn't quite place. Something that felt sad, yet strangely bitter. Before she could ponder too deeply on it, however, Adrien was smiling again. "Are you sure that you can go, though? I heard... I heard that you declined your invitation."

"I did. I had something going on in my civilian life. But... I thought I could spare a little bit of time. You deserve a little bit of freedom, Adrien."

There it was again. That expression that admiration and pure joy, eyes alight. "I can't believe you're doing this for me."

She extended her hand for him to take and giggled. "Well, I'm here, so... are you ready?"

He nodded, taking her hand, and only then did he notice her attire because he asked, "What are you wearing?"

"Oh! Um... see, I figured that if people saw us together, word would get back to your father. And I'm kind of noticeable in red, you know? So I put on... a disguise, you could say."

"A Chat Noir t-shirt?" he whispered, eyes straying to the green little paw on Ladybug's shoulder.

Feel brave, she winked. "What can I say? I'm a fan of my kitty."

Adrien went so red all of a sudden, and she couldn't figure out why. But that didn't matter because she was pulling him flush against her side, where he seemed to fit so perfectly, and then they were vigilantly making their way through the back streets of Paris. The moon was out now, surrounded by bright, beautiful stars, and she did her best to blend in with the night, wondering how Chat Noir did it.

"Here," she breathed, feet dusting against a rooftop. She loosened her grip on Adrien but didn't let go. "I know we can't get too close, but it'll be loud enough to hear from here, don't you think?"

"This is—no, this is totally fine," Adrien stammered, but he was smiling. "I... I really appreciate this. I'm glad I could listen at all, even if it's not the whole thing. Will you tell Marinette I said thank you if you see her?"

Ladybug took in his cheeky, yet somehow earnest (and strangely familiar) grin. Their eyes locked, and she was trapped in a sea of green, not-quite drowning but wondering if she could remember how to swim. He looked so handsome underneath the moonlit sky, blond hair shining, face flushed but absolutely adorable.

_Pull yourself together._

"You're... you're welcome Adrien," she answered finally, breathlessly. "It was my pleasure. And... yes, I'll tell her. But let's keep this a secret, ok? I don't want you to get in trouble."

He nodded. "Right! Of course!"

She could hear Jagged speaking then. Could hear him strum his guitar. It wasn't as clear as it would have been with her seat with Alya, but as she sat down next to Adrien on the rooftop, as she took in how excited he looked, she found she didn't mind.

Their hands ghosted together as Adrien leaned back a little. Ladybug didn't want to pull away, allowing her fingers to rest atop his, because this moment was blissful and beautiful, and she didn't want it to end.

She didn't mind at all.


	9. Beautiful (Lovesquare Fluff Week Day 3)

**a/n:** I was having a tough time with day 2's prompt, so I went ahead and did day 3. I'll switch them around on the chapter index when I get day 2 written. :) Enjoy.

* * *

**Lovesquarefluffweek Day 3: **Flowers / Adrienette

* * *

Adrien listened idly to his two friends chatter amongst themselves while they waited for Marinette to try the dress Alya had picked out for her. It was Marinette's turn to pick where they went today, and she'd chosen her favorite boutique. It was a little small, and there was only one exit to use should he run into any obsessive fans, or worse—an akuma. But at the very least, the Gorilla was with them. And he was having a good time, no matter where he went. He was just lucky he was able to come at all.

But Marinette's timing was perfect. It was an hour where the boutique wasn't that busy—there were only a few customers, save the group of four—so they were good to go. And she'd seemed so happy about being able to come here, which made sense because Adrien knew how much she adored fashion. It was cool that they were taking turns.

"Hey, Marinette," Alya called suddenly. "Are you ok? Do you need help?"

There was a quick pause. Then, from behind the door of the dressing room: "Um... maybe? I can't... I can't reach the zipper."

"Alright, I'm coming," Alya said, laughing as she stood and made her way in.

Nino scooted closer to him, filling the now vacant spot, and asked, "Where are we going next? It's almost your turn, dude."

Adrien was silent for a moment, thoughtful. Today was going by so fast, which happened every weekend, but still. And it was fairly warm out, so maybe... "We could get some ice cream?"

"Oooh, nice choice," Nino said. "I heard André's cart is somewhere by the Louvre today. That's not too far from here."

"Really? That's a real treat."

Nino gave him a deadpan look, but it melted in seconds, eyes crinkling as he started laughing. "You're gonna kill me with all these puns, you know that?"

Adrien gave him his best cheeky, Chat-Noir grin. "You love my puns."

"Sure, dude," Nino said, still chuckling.

Alya came out a second later, grinning wide, and Adrien blinked in confusion. His brows knitted together, but before he could say a word, she whispered quickly, "Mari looks great. Be honest! But I gotta warn you, she's still a little self-conscious, so don't say anything that could ruin her confidence."

Nino tipped his cap. "For sure."

"Alright," Adrien whispered back, his smile returning. Hurt Marinette? He'd never want to do that. Not on purpose, anyway.

"Ready?" Marinette called, sounding timid and unsure.

"Ready," Alya chirped.

Adrien straightened his spine, giving his full attention to the girl who was going to come out any second now. While she was still a little timid around him, Marinette was still his friend, and he wanted to show her that she had no reason to be nervous around him. Besides, Marinette was a very pretty girl. He was sure she could pull off anything. She could—

Adrien's breath left him the moment she stepped out.

Because there she stood in an off-the-shoulder summer dress, the fabric patterned with flowers, cutting off mid-thigh. The blue really brought out her eyes, he realized, and the weather outside was perfect for her to wear it. Cloudless and sunny, with just enough wind that it wasn't _too _hot. It hugged her in all the right places, the way a dress should, and the more he stared, the hotter his face became.

This dress was made for Marinette and Marinette alone.

"Wow, Mari," Nino praised. "You look gr—"

_Beautiful,_ Adrien thought before he could stop himself.

Marinette went impossibly still, cheeks blooming with color, and it was then that Adrien realized he'd spoken out loud. His own cheeks flamed, and he hurried to backtrack, to fix things before they got incredibly awkward, but it was the truth, and Alya _had_ said to be honest.

"O-oh," Marinette said faintly, looking down and fiddling with her fingers. "Th-thank you, Adrien..."

Oh, no. Had he made her nervous? He hadn't meant to! He really hadn't!

Nino slung an arm around Adrien's shoulder. "My bro is right. You look fantastic! Don't you think, Alya?"

"Of course," Alya said, sounding incredibly happy. "Wait! Marinette, hold still. I'd like to add one more thing..."

She dashed off somewhere, but Adrien was still staring, open-mouthed, at a gorgeous Marinette. She really did pull that dress off in a way no one could. His heart pounded, pounded, pounded as he struggled to remember how to transfer the words in his brain to his mouth.

"Alright, I got it," Alya said, pulling him once again from her thoughts. "I saw this at the front of the store when we walked in. Put it in your hair!"

She ran up to Marinette like it was urgent matters, handing her a small clip with a synthetic blue flower attached to it. Marinette just stared at it, and then Alya rolled her eyes and tucked it right above her right ear.

"Perfect," Alya declared.

Marinette reached up to touch it self-consciously and then turned to Nino and Adrien as if for their opinion. Or rather—she'd looked directly at Adrien, eyes still a little timid.

"Perfect," he echoed dazedly without even thinking, and Plagg was probably struggling not to laugh from in his shirt pocket, and his brain kept repeating, _She's just a friend. She's just a friend. She's just a friend._

Except... his heart was on the verge of exploding. And she was _stunning, _and was it just him, or was Marinette wearing make-up today? How had he not noticed? Adrien was a _model._ He was familiar with make-up, and it was the first time he noticed her eyeshadow and eyeliner.

"Yeah?" Marinette gave him this tiny little smile and it was the most adorable thing he'd ever seen. "Should... should I get it?"

"Absolutely!"

Adrien winced internally. Goodness, he was making a fool of himself, wasn't he?

"I mean... yeah, you should," he corrected as fast as he could, trying his best to soften his expression. To tone down the heat growing and growing in his cheeks. But his mouth just kept moving. "You should totally buy it. You look amazing in it."

Then her entire face lit up, eyes widening just a tiny bit, and he'd never seen anyone more beautiful at this moment.

He heard a muffled snort in his shirt and he prayed no one else paid attention to it. Plagg was going to let him have it when he got home.


End file.
